Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
58. Therefore, my beloved brethren ] The aim of St Paul is always practical. Even this magnificent passage comes to what from a merely oratorical point of view is a somewhat tame conclusion, a conclusion however which, regarded from the point of view of Christian edification, is full of beauty. “Be not weary in welldoing,” the Apostle would say. “Labour on in faith and courage till life comes to an end. For your life is hid with Christ in God; and therefore your efforts and struggles here are not thrown away. Not one of them shall be lost sight of before the Eternal Throne.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Therefore, my beloved brethren – In view of the great and glorious truths which have been revealed to us respecting the resurrection, Paul closes the whole of this important discussion with an exhortation to that firmness in the faith which ought to result from truths so glorious, and from hopes so elevated as these truths are suited to impart. The exhortation is so plain, that it needs little explanation; it so obviously follows from the argument which Paul had pursued, that there is little need to attempt to enforce it.
Be ye steadfast – hedraioi, from hedra. Seated, sedentary (Robinson); perhaps with an allusion to a statue (Bloomfield); or perhaps to wrestling, and to standing ones ground (Wolf). Whatever may be the allusion, the sense is clear. Be firm, strong, confident in the faith, in view of the truth that you will be raised up. Be not shaken or agitated with the strifes, the temptations, and the cares of life. Be fixed in the faith, and let not the power of sin, or the sophistry of pretended philosophy, or the arts of the enemy of the soul seduce you from the faith of the gospel.
Unmovable – Firm, fixed, stable, unmoved. This is probably a stronger expression than the former, though meaning substantially the same thing – that we are to be firm and unshaken in our Christian hopes, and in our faith in the gospel.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord – Always engaged in doing the will of God; in promoting his glory, and advancing his kingdom. The phrase means not only to be engaged in this, but to be engaged diligently, laboriously; excelling in this. The work of the Lord here means that which the Lord requires; all the appropriate duties of Christians. Paul exhorts them to practice every Christian virtue, and to do all that they could do to further the gospel among people.
Forasmuch as ye know – Greek Knowing. You know it by the arguments which have been urged for the truth of the gospel; by your deep conviction that that gospel is true.
Your labour is not in vain – It will be rewarded. It is not as if you were to die and never live again. There will be a resurrection, and you will be suitably recompensed then What you do for the honor of God will not only be attended with an approving conscience, and with happiness here, but will be met with the glorious and eternal rewards of heaven.
In the Lord – This probably means, Your labor or work in the Lord, that is, in the cause of the Lord, will not be in vain. And the sentiment of the whole verse is, that the hope of the resurrection and of future glory should stimulate us to great and self-denying efforts in honor of Him who has revealed that doctrine, and who purposes graciously to reward us there. Other people are influenced and excited to great efforts by the hope of honor, pleasure, or wealth. Christians should be excited to toil and self-denial by the prospect of immortal glory; and by the assurance that their hopes are not in vain, and will not deceive them.
Thus, closes this chapter of inimitable beauty, and of unequalled power of argumentation. Such is the prospect which is before the Christian. He shall indeed die like other people. But his death is a sleep – a calm, gentle, undisturbed sleep, in the expectation of being again awaked to a brighter Day, 1Co 15:6. He has the assurance that his Saviour rose, and that his people shall therefore also rise, 1Co 15:12-20. He encounters peril, and privation, and persecution he may be ridiculed and despised; he may be subjected to danger, or doomed to fight with wild beasts, or to contend with people who resemble wild beasts; he may be doomed to the pains and terrors of a martyrdom at the stake, but he has the assurance that all these are of short continuance, and that before him there is a world of eternal glory; 1Co 15:29-32. He may be poor, unhonored, and apparently without an earthly friend or protector; but his Saviour and Redeemer reigns; 1Co 15:25.
He may be opposed by wicked people, and his name slandered, and body tortured, and his peace marred, but his enemies shall all be subdued; 1Co 15:26-27. He will himself die, and sleep in his grave, but he shall live again; 1Co 15:22-23. He has painful proof that his body is corruptible, but it will be incorruptible; that it is now vile, but it will be glorious; that it is weak, frail, feeble, but it will yet be strong, and no more subject to disease or decay; 1Co 15:42-43. And he will be brought under the power of death. but death shall be robbed of its honors, and despoiled of its triumph. Its sting from the saint is taken away. and it is changed to a blessing. It is now not the dreaded monster, the king of terrors it is a friend that comes to remove him from a world of toil to a world of rest; from a life of sin to a life of glory. The grave is not to him the gloomy abode, the permanent resting-place of his body; it is a place of rest for a little time; grateful like the bed of down to a wearied frame, where he may lie down and repose after the fatigues of the day, and gently wait for the morning.
He has nothing to fear in death; nothing to fear in the dying pang, the gloom, the chill, the sweat, the paleness, the fixedness of death; nothing to fear in the chilliness, the darkness, the silence, the corruption of the grave. All this is in the way to immortality, and is closely and indissolubly connected with immortality; 1Co 15:55-57. And in view of all this, we should be patient, faithful, laborious, self-denying; we should engage with zeal in the work of the Lord; we should calmly wait till our change come; 1Co 15:58. No other system of religion has any such hopes as this; no other system does anything to dispel the gloom, or drive away the horrors of the grave. How foolish is the man who rejects the gospel – the only system which brings life and immortality to light! How foolish to reject the doctrine of the resurrection, and to lie down in the grave without peace, without hope, without any belief that there will be a world of glory; living without God, and dying like the brute.
And yet infidelity seeks and claims its chief triumphs in the attempt to convince poor dying man that he has no solid ground of hope; that the universe is without a Father and without a God; that the grave terminates the career of man forever; and that in the grave he sinks away to eternal annihilation. Strange that man should seek such degradation! Strange that all people, conscious that they must die, do not at once greet Christianity as their best friend, and hail the doctrine of the future state, and of the resurrection, as that which is adapted to meet the deeply-felt evils of this world; to fill the desponding mind with peace; and to sustain the soul in the temptations and trials of life, and in the gloom and agony of death!
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 58. Be ye steadfast] , from , a seat; be settled; confide in the truth of this doctrine of the resurrection, and every thing that pertains to it, as confidently as a man sits down on a SEAT, which he knows to be solid, firm, and safe; and on which he has often sat.
Unmovable] , from , negative, and , to move away; let nothing shake your faith; let nothing move you away from this hope of the Gospel which is given unto you. What I tell you I receive from God; your false teachers cannot say so: in a declaration of God you may unshakingly confide.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord] The work of the Lord is obedience to his holy word; every believer in Christ is a workman of God. He that works not, to bring glory to God and good to man, is not acknowledged as a servant of Christ; and if he be not a servant, he is not a son; and if not a son, then not an heir. And he must not only work, but abound in that work; ever exceeding his former self; and this, not for a time, but always; beginning, continuing, and ending every act of life to God’s glory and the good of his fellows.
Your labour is not in vain] Your labour in the Lord is not in vain; you must not only work, but you must labour-put forth all your strength; and you must work and labour in the Lord-under his direction, and by his influence; for without him ye can do nothing. And this labour cannot be in vain; you shall have a resurrection unto eternal life: not because you have laboured, but because Christ died and gave you grace to be faithful.
1. THE chapter through which the reader has passed is a chapter of great importance and difficulty; and on its difficulties much has been written in the preceding notes. Though I have used all the helps in my power to guide me in explaining it, I have, upon the whole, been obliged to think for myself, and claim only the praise of severe labour, ever directed by honest intention and an earnest desire to find out the truth.
2. There are many questions connected with the doctrine of the resurrection which I could not introduce here without writing a book instead of short notes on a very long chapter. On such subjects, I again beg leave to direct the reader to Mr. Samuel Drew’s Essay on that subject.
3. One remark I cannot help making; the doctrine of the resurrection appears to have been thought of much more consequence among the primitive Christians than it is now! How is this? The apostles were continually insisting on it, and exciting the followers of God to diligence, obedience, and cheerfulness through it. And their successors in the present day seldom mention it! So apostles preached, and so primitive Christians believed; so we preach, and so our hearers believe. There is not a doctrine in the Gospel on which more stress is laid; and there is not a doctrine in the present system of preaching which is treated with more neglect!
4. Though all men shall rise again, yet it will be in widely different circumstances: some will rise to glory and honour; others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those alone who here received the salvation of God, and continued faithful unto death, shall have a resurrection to everlasting glory; not every believer, but every loving obedient believer, shall enter into the paradise of God, and have a body fashioned like unto his Lord’s glorious body.
5. All glorified spirits will not have the same degree of glory. Two things will necessarily cause great difference: 1. The quantum of mind; and 2. The quantum of grace.
(1.) It is idle to suppose that God has made all human souls with the same capacities: he has not. There is an infinite diversity; he who has the greatest mind can know most, do most, suffer most, and enjoy most.
(2.) The quantum of grace will be another great cause of diversity and glory. He who received most of Christ here, and was most devoted to his service, shall have the nearest approach to him in his own kingdom. But all equally holy and equally faithful souls shall not have equal degrees of glory; for the glory will be according to the capacity of the mind, as well as the degree of grace and improvement. The greater the capacity, provided it be properly influenced by the grace of Christ, the greater will be the enjoyment.
6. That there will be great diversity in the states of glorified saints is the apostle’s doctrine; and he illustrates it by the different degrees of splendour between the sun, moon, planets, and stars. This needs little application. There are some of the heavenly bodies that give heat, light, and splendour, as the SUN; and are of the utmost service to the world: some that give light, and comparative splendour, without heat, as the MOON; and yet are of very great use to mankind: others, again, which give a steady but not a splendid light, at the PLANETS; and are serviceable in their particular spheres: and lastly, others which twinkle in their respective systems, as the stars of different magnitudes.
7. One star, says the apostle, differs from another in glory, i.e. in splendour, according to what is called their different magnitudes. I will state a remarkable fact: The northern and southern hemispheres of the heavens have been divided into 102 constellations, and in these constellations Professor Bode has set down the places of 17,240 stars; simple, nebulous, conglobate, and double. The stars have been distinguished by their apparent magnitudes or rather splendour, into stars of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, c., magnitudes: of these 17,240, only sixteen are, by astronomers in general, agreed to be of the first magnitude, all of which are set down in the following catalogue, with some of those that are remarkable in the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth magnitudes. The reader will observe that the name of the constellation or star is first mentioned the Greek letters, c., are those by which they are distinguished on maps and globes and they are, by astronomers, referred to by these letters and numbers. My inferences follow the table.
A TABLE of the most remarkable FIXED STARS, from the FIRST to the SIXTH MAGNITUDE.
A TABLE of the most remarkable FIXED STARS, from the FIRST to the SIXTH MAGNITUDE.|---------------------------------------------------------------|| First Magnitude. | Second Magnitude. | |---------------------------------------------------------------|| In the mouth of Canis | In the wing of Pegasus, | | Major, or the Greater | (Algenib). . . . . . . | | Dog, (Sirius, or the | In the head of the | | Dog-star. . . . . . . | Phoenix, . . . . . . . | | Bright star in Lyra, | In the tail of Cetus, . | | or the Harp, (Wega | In the girdle of | | or Vega). . . . . . . | Andromeda, . . . . . . | | Bright Star in Bootes, | In the Ram's following | | (Arcturus). . . . . . | horn,. . . . . . . . . | | In the heart of Leo | In the neck of Cetus, . | | Major, or the Great | In the jaw of Cetus,. . | | Lion, (Regulus) . . . | In the head of Medusa, | | In the left shoulder | (Algol). . . . . . . . | | of Auriga, or the | In Perseus' girdle, . . | | Charioteer, (Capella) | In the northern horn of | | In the right foot of | the Bull,. . . . . . . | | Orion, (Rigel). . . . | In Gemini, (Castor) . . * | | In the southern, or | In Gemini, (Pollux) . . * | | left eye of the Bull, | In Orion's shoulder,. . | | (Aldebaran) . . . . . | In the belt of Orion, . | | In Eridanus, (Alnahar | In the Dove,. . . . . . | | or Acharnar). . . . . | In the female Hydra,. . | | In the shoulder of | In Ursa Major, (Upper | | Orion, (Betelgeuse) . | Pointer) . . . . . . . * | | In the poop of the ship | In Ursa Major, (Lower | | Argo, (Canopus) . . . | Pointer) . . . . . . . | | In the loins of Canis | The Lion's tail, | | Minor, or the little | (Denob). . . . . . . . | | Dog, (Procyon). . . . | In the Cross, . . . . . | | Bright star in the foot | In the Dragon's tail. . | | of the Cross, . . . . | In the Balance, . . . . | | In the spike of the | In the Balance, . . . . | | Virgin, . . . . . . . | In the Swan's tail. . . | | In the foot of the | In Pegasus, (Markab). . | | Centaur . . . . . . . | In Andromeda's head,. . | | In the Scorpion's | In the shoulder of | | heart, (Antares). . . | Pegasus, . . . . . . . | | In the mouth of the | In the Crane's wing,. . | | south Fish, | In the Eagle, (Atteer). * | | (Fomalhaut) . . . . . | In the ship Argo, . . . * | |---------------------------------------------------------------||---------------------------------------------------------------|| Third Magnitude. | Fourth Magnitude. | |---------------------------------------------------------------|| Brightest of the | In Libra, . . . . . . . | | Pleiades, . . . . . . h | ------ . . . . . . . y | | In Taurus, . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | In Scorpio, . . . . . . | | In Gemini, . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | In Ophiuchus, . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Virgo,. . . . . . . | In Sagittarius, . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Libra,. . . . . . . * | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | | In Scorpio,. . . . . . | In Capricorn, . . . . . | | In Ophiuchus,. . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Sagittarius . . . . * | In Aquarius,. . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | In Pisces,. . . . . . . | | In Capricorn,. . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | In Aries, . . . . . . . | | In Ursa Major, . . . . | In Taurus,. . . . . . . 1 | | In Cassiopeia. . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | | ------ . . . . . . . | In Gemini,. . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | In Cancer,. . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Perscus,. . . . . . | In Leo, . . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Ursa Major, . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In the Dragon, . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | In Virgo, . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In the Swan, . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | |---------------------------------------------------------------||---------------------------------------------------------------|| Fifth Magnitude. | Sixth Magnitude. | |---------------------------------------------------------------|| In Pisces, . . . . . . d | In Cancer,. . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . 19 | In the Sextant, . . . . 37 | | ------ . . . . . . . 29 | ------ . . . . . . . 38 | | ------ . . . . . . . 30 | In Leo, . . . . . . . . 56 | | ------ . . . . . . . 33 | ------ . . . . . . . *79 | | ------ . . . . . . . e | In Sagittarius, . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | | ------ . . . . . . . | In Aquarius,. . . . . . * | | In Cetus,. . . . . . . 20 | ------ . . . . . . . 1h | | In Aries,. . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | In Orion, . . . . . . . 4 | | ------ . . . . . . . 3 | In Ursa Minor,. . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Taurus, . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . 105 | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | | In Orion,. . . . . . . 1 | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | In Cepheus, . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . 3 | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Auriga, . . . . . . | In the Dragon,. . . . . Y | | In Gemini, . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . X | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . W | | In Cancer, . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . B | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . 1V | | In Leo,. . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . 2V | | In Virgo,. . . . . . . | In Cassiopeia,. . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Libra,. . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Scorpio,. . . . . . 1 | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | ------ . . . . . . . | | In Ophiuchus,. . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . d | | In Sagittarius,. . . . | In Perseus, . . . . . . g | | In Capricorn,. . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . h | | In Aquarius, . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . i | | ------ . . . . . . . | ------ . . . . . . . s | | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | ------ . . . . . . . n | | ------ . . . . . . . 1 | ------ . . . . . . . d | | ------ . . . . . . . 2 | ------ . . . . . . . h | | ------ . . . . . . . 3 | In Auriga,. . . . . . . 1e | |---------------------------------------------------------------|
Observations on the preceding Table.
The five stars of the second magnitude in the above list, marked with an asterisk, are by some writers denominated of the first magnitude; and those named of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth magnitudes, (the stars of the last-mentioned order being barely visible to the naked eye,) are such as the moon can occult, or make a near appulse to; except the last sixteen, in the column of stars of the third magnitude, and the last twenty-nine in that of the sixth magnitude, which never set in the latitude of London. The stars Algol and Ceti are set down according to their brightest appearance; the former varying from the second to the fourth magnitude every two days, 20 hours, 48 minutes, 58 seconds, 18 thirds, and 25 fourths; and the latter, from the second to the seventh, and sometimes to the tenth, every 331 days, 10 hours, and 19 minutes. The stars of the first magnitude, Capella and Lyra, never set in the latitude of London; Acharnar, Canopus, in Argo, and in the Cross and Centaur, never rise. Of the stars of the second magnitude in the preceding list, in Medusa’s head, or Algol, in Perseus, the two Pointers, the Dragon’s tail, and the Swan’s tail, never set; the head of the Phoenix and the bright star in the Crane never rise. The stars marked with an asterisk in the third column are between the third and fourth magnitudes; and those in the last column with the same mark are between the fifth and sixth magnitudes. Stars fainter than those of the sixth magnitude cannot be discerned without the help of a glass, and are therefore called telescopic. The 2h, and 3h, in Aquarius, are of this last description, both of the seventh magnitude, and such as the moon can occult.
8. This subject, as far as it concerns the present place, admits of few remarks or reflections. It has already been observed, that, of all the stars which our best astronomers have been able to describe and lay down in tables and maps, only sixteen are of the first magnitude; i.e. appear more luminous than any other stars in the firmament: some, indeed, increase the number to twenty-one, by taking in Castor and Pollux, the upper Pointer, Atteer, or Atair, in the Eagle, and in the ship Argo, which I have placed among those of the second magnitude, because astronomers are not agreed on the subject, some ranking them with stars of the first magnitude, others, with stars of the second.
The reader is probably amazed at the paucity of large stars in the whole firmament of heaven! Will he permit me to carry his mind a little farther, and either stand astonished at or deplore with me the fact, that, out of the millions of Christians in the vicinity and splendour of the eternal Sun of righteousness, how very few are found of the first order! How very few can stand examination by the test laid down in the 13th chapter of this epistle! How very few love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength; and their neighbour as themselves! How few mature Christians are found in the Church! How few are, in all things, living for eternity! How little light, how little heat, and how little influence and activity are to be found among them that bear the name of Christ! How few stars of the FIRST magnitude will the Son of God have to deck the crown of his glory! Few are striving to excel in righteousness; and it seems to be a principal concern with many to find out how little grace they may have, and yet escape hell; how little conformity to the will of God they may have, and yet get to heaven! In the fear of God I register this testimony, that I have perceived it to be the labour of many to lower the standard of Christianity, and to soften down, or explain away, those promises of God that himself has linked with duties; and because they know that they cannot be saved by their good works, they are contented to have no good works at all: and thus the necessity of Christian obedience, and Christian holiness, makes no prominent part of some modern creeds. Let all those who retain the apostolic doctrine, that the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin in this life, press every believer to go on to perfection, and expect to be saved, while here below, into the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus. To all such my soul says, Labour to show yourselves approved unto God; workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth; and may the pleasure of the Lord prosper in your hands!-Amen.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The apostle concludeth his discourse, proving the resurrection of the body from the dead, founding upon it an exhortation to holiness, which is here called
the work of the Lord, because it is made up of works done by us at the command of Christ, and with direct respect to his glory in obedience to his will. He mindeth them not only to do these things, but to do them
stedfastly, not by fits, but never turning aside from them either one way or another; and unmovably, so as no temptations, either from dangers, or rewards, or false teachers, should shake their faith, as to the principles that lead unto such a holy life, this especially of the resurrection from the dead.
For as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord; because they knew, that through the grace of God, and the merits of Christ, such works as these should not want their reward; for though the work of God be wages to itself, and Christians should not serve God merely for wages, yet it is lawful for them (as for Moses) to have an eye to the recompence of reward; and a greater reward than this of the resurrection of the body to eternal life, and that in a state of immortality and incorruption, in a spiritual and honourable estate, could not be.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
58. belovedSound doctrinekindles Christian love.
steadfastnot turningaside from the faith of the resurrection of yourselves.
unmovablenot turnedaside by others (1Co 15:12;Col 1:23).
the work of the Lordthepromotion of Christ’s kingdom (Php2:30).
not in vainas thedeniers of the resurrection would make it (1Co 15:14;1Co 15:17).
in the Lordapplying tothe whole sentence and its several clauses: Ye, as being in the Lordby faith, know that your labor in the Lord (that is, labor accordingto His will) is not to be without its reward in the Lord (through Hismerits and according to His gracious appointment).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore my beloved brethren,…. This is the conclusion of the whole, and contains the use the apostle makes of the above doctrine, addressing the saints at Corinth in the most tender and affectionate manner; owning the spiritual relation they stood in to him, and expressing the great love he had for them, which filled him with a concern for them, that they might be both sound in principle, and right in practice, and continue so:
be ye steadfast, unmoveable; in all the doctrines of the Gospel, and particularly in this of the resurrection of the dead, which he had been labouring throughout the whole chapter:
always abounding in the work of the Lord; going on in it, being more and more in the practice of it; either in the work of the ministry, which some of them were in, to which the Lord had called them, and for which he had fitted and qualified them, and in which his glory was greatly concerned, and therefore called his work; or any other work, even all good works, which the Lord commands, requires, calls his people to, and strengthens them to perform: which when they do they may be said to abound, and to be fruitful in every good work: and for their encouragement it is added,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord; the labour of such who were in the ministry was not in vain, but was by the Lord made useful for the conversion of sinners, and the edification of saints, who would be their joy, and crown of rejoicing another day; and which must be no small encouragement to labour; and labour in any kind of good work has here its usefulness: it is profitable unto men, and though not meritorious of eternal life, yet the good works of the saints will follow them; Christ will not forget their work and labour of love which they have shown to his name and people, but will take notice of them as fruits of his own grace, and bestow his rewards upon them, though not in a way of debt, but of grace; which the doctrine of the resurrection assures of, and encourages to hope for; and so must he a friend to the practice of good works, as the contrary doctrine must be an obstruction to them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Obligations of Christians. | A. D. 57. |
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
In this verse we have the improvement of the whole argument, in an exhortation, enforced by a motive resulting plainly from it.
I. An exhortation, and this threefold:– 1. That they should be stedfast–hedraioi, firm, fixed in the faith of the gospel, that gospel which he had preached and they had received, namely, That Christ died for our sins, and arose again the third day, according to the scriptures (1Co 15:3; 1Co 15:4), and fixed in the faith of the glorious resurrection of the dead, which, as he had shown, had so near and necessary a connection with the former. “Do not let your belief of these truths be shaken or staggered. They are most certain, and of the last importance.” Note, Christians should be stedfast believers of this great article of the resurrection of the dead. It is evidently founded on the death of Christ. Because he lives, his servants shall live also, John xiv. 19. And it is of the last importance; a disbelief of a future life will open a way to all manner of licentiousness, and corrupt men’s morals to the last degree. It will be easy and natural to infer hence that we may live like beasts, and eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. 2. He exhorts them to be immovable, namely, in their expectation of this great privilege of being raised incorruptible and immortal. Christians should not be moved away from this hope of this gospel (Col. i. 23), this glorious and blessed hope; they should not renounce nor resign their comfortable expectations. They are not vain, but solid hopes, built upon sure foundations, the purchase and power of their risen Saviour, and the promise of God, to whom it is impossible to lie–hopes that shall be their most powerful supports under all the pressures of life, the most effectual antidotes against the fears of death, and the most quickening motives to diligence and perseverance in Christian duty. Should they part with these hopes? Should they suffer them to be shaken? Note, Christians should live in the most firm expectation of a blessed resurrection. This hope should be an anchor to their souls, firm and sure, Heb. vi. 19. 3. He exhorts them to abound in the work of the Lord, and that always, in the Lord’s service, in obeying the Lord’s commands. They should be diligent and persevering herein, and going on towards perfection; they should be continually making advances in true piety, and ready and apt for every good work. The most cheerful duty, the greatest diligence, the most constant perseverance, become those who have such glorious hopes. Can we too much abound in zeal and diligence in the Lord’s work, when we are assured of such abundant recompences in a future life? What vigour and resolution, what constancy and patience, should those hopes inspire! Note, Christians should not stint themselves as to their growth in holiness, but be always improving in sound religion, and abounding in the work of the Lord.
II. The motive resulting from the former discourse is that their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord; nay, they know it shall not. They have the best grounds in the world to build upon: they have all the assurance that can rationally be expected: as surely as Christ is risen, they shall rise; and Christ is as surely risen as the scriptures are true, and the word of God. The apostles saw him after his death, testified this truth to the world in the face of a thousand deaths and dangers, and confirmed it by miraculous powers received from him. Is there any room to doubt a fact so well attested? Note, True Christians have undoubted evidence that their labour will not be in vain in the Lord; not their most diligent services, nor their most painful sufferings; they will not be in vain, not be vain and unprofitable. Note, The labour of Christians will not be lost labour; they may lose for God, but they will lose nothing by him; nay, there is more implied than is expressed in this phrase: it means that they shall be abundantly rewarded. He will never be found unjust to forget their labour of love, Heb. vi. 10. Nay, he will do exceedingly abundantly above what they can now ask or think. Neither the services they do for him, nor the sufferings they endure for him here, are worthy to be compared with the joy hereafter to be revealed in them, Rom. viii. 18. Note, Those who serve God have good wages; they cannot do too much nor suffer too much for so good a Master. If they serve him now, they shall see him hereafter; if they suffer for him on earth, they shall reign with him in heaven; if they die for his sake, they shall rise again from the dead, be crowned with glory, honour, and immortality, and inherit eternal life.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Be ye steadfast, unmovable ( , ). “Keep on becoming steadfast, unshaken.” Let the sceptics howl and rage. Paul has given rational grounds for faith and hope in Christ the Risen Lord and Saviour. Note practical turn to this great doctrinal argument.
Work (),
labour (, toil). The best answer to doubt is work.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Steadfast, unmovable. The former refers to their firm establishment in the faith; the latter to that establishment as related to assault from temptation or persecution. Fixedness is a condition of abounding in work. All activity has its center in rest. 136
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Therefore, my beloved brethren,” (hoste, adelphoi mou agapetoi) “As a consequence, dearly beloved brethren,” turning away from strife, divisions, immorality, skepticism, and matters that lead to a life of defeat, Paul exhorted them!
2) “Be ye stedfast, unmoveable,” (edraioi ginesthe, ametakinetoi) “Become ye firm, unmoveable.” Do not waver like a leaf in the wind; become firm as a rock, in moral, ethical, and doctrinal truth; become a landmark; stability and perseverance are Christian virtues.
3) “Always abounding in the work of the Lord,” (perisseuontes en to ergo tou kuriou pantote) “Always -pressing on, like a soldier in combat, or a workman in the field, in the work of the Lord,” Jos 1:6-9; Gal 6:9; 2Th 3:1; 2Th 3:3.
4) “Forasmuch as ye know that” (eidontes hoti) “Perceiving,” that your tedious and painful labor, or knowing or comprehending as you do; This implies assured knowledge that springs from confirmation of faith, based on factual truth, such as the resurrection set forth in this chapter, 2Co 5:1.
5) “Your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (ho kopos humon ouk estin kenos en kurio) “Is not empty, vain, a sham, or to be unrewarded in (the) Lord,” 2Ti 4:7-9; 2Jn 1:8; Rev 22:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
58. Wherefore, my brethren Having satisfied himself that he had sufficiently proved the doctrine of the resurrection, he now closes his discussion with an exhortation; and this has much more force, than if he had made use of a simple conclusion with an affirmation. Since your labor, says he, is not in vain in the Lord, be steadfast, and abound in good works Now he says that their labor is not in vain, for this reason, that there is a reward laid up for them with God. This is that exclusive hope which, in the first instance, encourages believers, and afterwards sustains them, so that they do not stop short in the race. Hence he exhorts them to remain steadfast, because they rest on a firm foundation, as they know that a better life is prepared for them in heaven.
He adds — abounding in the work of the Lord; for the hope of a resurrection makes us not be weary in well doing, as he teaches in Col 1:10. For amidst so many occasions of offense as constantly present themselves to us, who is there that would not despond, or turn aside from the way, were it not that, by thinking of a better life he is by this means kept in the fear of God? Now, on the other hand, he intimates, that if the hope of a resurrection is taken away, then, the foundation (as it were) being rooted up, the whole structure of piety falls to the ground. (147) Unquestionably, if the hope of reward is taken away and extinguished, alacrity in running will not merely grow cold, but will be altogether destroyed.
(147) “ D’autant que ceste esperance enest le fondement;” — “Inasmuch as that hope is the foundation of it.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
AN APOSTLE S CONCLUSION AND APPEAL
1Co 15:58
THIS passage concludes this great chapter. This is the chapter in which Paul names the pillars of his faith, the chapter in which he answers the materialists question concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the chapter in which he discusses the believers victory over death and the grave. If one study it carefully he will find the atonement in this chapter, the doctrine of substitution clearly stated, the Deity of Jesus Christ eloquently affirmed, as are also the temporal and eternal benefits resulting from His death for sin, and His resurrection from the grave. Far better could one afford to lose the 23rd Psalm, or even the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, or even the 15th of Luke, or the 14th of John, than to be deprived of the 15th of I Corinthians.
There are people who fail to see any vital connection between the doctrine of the Atonement, confidence in the Deity of Jesus Christ, the subject of His Second Coming and the resurrection of the saints, and practical every-day Christian endeavor. But Paul felt that such a vital relation existed and voiced it in this conclusion, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
We have chosen his conclusion in order to present The Apostles Appeal, The Apostles Plan and The Apostles Promise.
THE APOSTLES APPEAL
It is first of all for fellowship in Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren. Fraternity never found its true meaning until Christ came. He taught that all men were brothers, God hath made of one blood, all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth. By precept and practice He set to work forces calculated to destroy the middle wall of partition which separated Jew; from Gentile, Greek from Barbarian, learned from ignorant, and rich from poor. He taught them they were brothers in spite of these paper walls, by pronouncing Himself the Elder Brother of them all. Ever since His day the Christian Church has kept the thought of fraternity before the world; and when Paul says, My beloved brethren, he voices one of the best sentiments that ever blessed or inspired men. Paul, the haughty Jew, proud of his superior birth, and his splendid breeding, could never have called Greek Christians, My beloved brethren, except by first becoming the follower of the Christ, and knowing the fellowship with the humblest believer in Him. Turgenieff, in one of his parables, tells of meeting a beggar who held out his greasy hands for alms. Turgenieff searched all of his pockets, but he had no money, no food, nothing whatever to give the man. He said, I am sorry brother, but I have nothing for thee. The beggars face brightened and he answered, That is enough; to be called brother is better than any alms would have been. Every man you meet is your brother, but the man who is in Jesus Christ is more; he is your beloved brother, We are members of the same family, children in the same household, juniors of the same senioreven Jesus of Nazareth. It is a sweet sentence, one the Church of God ought to keep in fresh employment as our members greet one another. My beloved brethren!
His second appeal is for steadfastness in service. Be ye stedfast. John Bunyan, in his Pilgrims Progress, with which every Christian believer ought to make himself familiar, presents two pictures; the first is the photograph of Pliable, the man who gave ready attention to what Christian had to say, and quickly joined him in his journey. As they went their way and Christian instructed him, Pliables heart was ravished, and he said to Christian, Come on, let us mend our pace. The moment they struck the miry slough, in the midst of the plain, Pliable began to be offended, and when by a desperate struggle he got out of the mire, from that side of the slough which was next to his own house, he went back and Christian saw him no more. The centuries have known many such. But among his companions of a later time, Christian fell in with Faithful, a character who was as steadfast as Pliable had been unsteady. He was the man who refused to be enticed by the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He was the man who passed by the sleeping lions, entertaining little fear of them. He was the man who answered all the arguments of Discontent, who, leaving behind all of his relatives, such as Pride, Arrogancy, Self-Conceit, Worldly Glory, kept on his way! Shame he also silenced, and with Talkative he took no part; and as you follow this character Faithful, you find him finishing well the journey which he had begun. When at last his enemies had borne their blasphemous testimonies against him, Mr. Blind-Man, Mr. No-Good, Mr. Love-Lust, Mr. Live-Loose, Mr. Heady, Mr. High-Mind, Mr. Enmity, Mr. Liar, Mr. Cruelty, Mr. Hate-Light, Mr. Implacable; and he was taken out to be scourged, and finally put to a cruel death, he was steadfast to the end, and as Christian left the place where his companion had been slain, he went singing in memory of his steadfast brother,
Well, Faithful, thou hast faithfully profestUnto thy Lord, with whom thou shalt be blest.When faithless ones, with all their vain delight,Are crying out under their hellish plight,Sing, Faithful, sing, and let thy name surviveFor though they killed thee, thou art yet alive.
The Apostles appeal for immutability in belief!
Unmoveable! This is the Apostle who wrote to the Ephesians reminding them of the powers appointed for their development in Christ, unto a manhood immoveable, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.
John the Baptist would doubtless be regarded a theological moss-back by the advanced thinkers of this day, since he was not shaken by every skeptical breath that blew. Jesus said to the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? His interrogation was His answer. No wonder He called him the Elias which was for to come, for Elias himself was never more steadfast in the faith. What Stonewall Jackson was to the armies of the South, the immoveable man, he who professes the Name of Jesus should be to the conquering church. The man whose faith is constantly shifting illustrates that he has been laying his foundations in the sand, and you cant make a conquering church out of his sort.
One of our aged ministers says, by way of counsel, Have convictions. Much was said in the early part of Spurgeons ministry about the secret of his power. President Garfield heard him and said, There was no secret about it; he simply believed Gods Word with all of his heart, and preached it with all of his might! And when, as this same writer continues, a man comes to believe that as firmly as he does in his own existence, the objections and guesses of the infidel and destructive critic are no more to him than the hooting of owls in the darkness of the forest. What fears they may excite are driven away while he sings,
My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus Blood and righteousness;I dare not trust the sweetest frame,But wholly lean on Jesus Name:On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils his lovely face,I rest on His unchanging grace;In every high and stormy gale,My anchor holds within the veil:On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, His covenant and blood,Support me in the whelming flood:When all around my soul gives way,He then is all my hope and stay:On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,All other ground is sinking sand.
THE APOSTLES PLAN
Always abounding in the work of the Lord.
This sentence involves the thought of a confederated service. The brethren are not to work only, but to work together. Cooperation is fundamental to the life of the church. Whatever may be true in other organizations, cooperation is the word in the work of the church. A writer on the subject of cooperation in the industrial world says of the men who propose it, First and foremost they should stand together, and he argues, where they have done this, the movement spread until, in England, many years since, there were a million and a half members of the cooperative societies. Their annual sales amounted to $350,000,000. And his claim was that their profits far exceeded those of men who attempted to work apart.
If one study the early Church you will find it a perfect example of cooperation. All that believed were together, and had all things common. In the division of offices the plan was more perfect cooperation. Deacons were elected to serve tables that Apostles might be released continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word. After the Spirit of God had once fallen on the Church they spent no time discussing who should be greatest in the kingdom, for now they knew that He that is greatest among you shall be your servant. John the Baptist, about whom Jesus said: Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet, humbled himself to be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the stormy days of the Civil War, the noble Lincoln remarked, I will hold McClellans horse, if he will only bring us success. It is the spirit which should characterize usthe spirit of cooperation in the Church of God. According to the Scriptures we are not only workers with God, but workers together with God. The power of cooperation is poorly appreciated; if one can chase a thousand, two can put ten thousand to flight.
But the Apostle also plans for a continuous service. ALWAYS abounding in the work of the Lord. There is sore need of emphasis here. The world is full of people who begin well, but are short-winded. By the time they are needed to lift a burden they are out of breath. They balk before you finish the hill. As a country lad I often noticed that balky horses were good looking ones. It is often so in the Church of God. But their favorable appearance, to the contrary notwithstanding, they were always poor stock on the market, and could only be handled to profit by tricky traders. Jesus Christ said, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God. As a pastor I always feel sorry when I see a man who began his Christian life with a fervent testimony, become silent; sorry when I learn that one who once contributed to the cause of Jesus, has either reduced the amount or dropped it altogether; sorry when I find that one who once rendered some personal service that was efficient, has ceased from his endeavors. It does not make so much difference whether one bring great ability or small to the service of God, as it does whether he prove himself persistent. A great bar of steel, weighing 500 pounds, eight feet in length, was suspended by a chain. A small bottle cork hung at its side, held by a silk thread. The cork was swung gently against the steel bar, and the onlookers laughed at the suggestion that it could ever move it; it was kept up for ten minutes with no appreciable effect. Ten minutes more, and a slight vibration appeared in the great eight-foot bar. At the end of half an hour the stroke of the cork was compelling the great bar to vibrate with it, swinging back and forth like the pendulum of a clock. Few difficulties but can be removed by the persistent man; few obstacles but can be overcome by the Christian who continues his endeavor. Ich Dien is the motto under the triple plume of the Prince of Wales. The origin of the motto goes back more than 500 years. When John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia, was killed at the battle of Crecy, in 1346, Edward found the King dead on the field, with the Royal flag on his breast, under the crest of three ostrich feathers, the words Ich Dien I serve. Edward gave it to his son, and for nearly six centuries this sign has expressed the Royal heritage of voluntary service.
The man who ceases from service this side of the grave can no longer claim to have the Spirit of the Christ, whose dying sentence, It is finished, suggests that His life and work ended at one and the same time.
The Apostles plan is for an increasing service. Always ABOUNDING in the work of the Lord. If there is one thing I grow more tired of than another, it is that theory that bids men do the little things and do them well and be content to let the big things alone. As I read the life of Jesus Christ He seems to have done very few little things. He left those to the souls of little men; surely there are enough of them. Who can withhold admiration from Carey, the cobbler, when he conceived a continent for Christ, or fail to appreciate Livingstone, when he dares to attempt the enlightenment of darkest Africa, or withhold his praise from General Booth, who believed it possible to save the submerged tenth?
Careys statement, Let us expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God, was worthy the big brained, big hearted cobbler, and Christian. The Christians who do but little, who give little gifts, who preach little Gospel, and practise less, are clogging the chariot wheels of the King.
This Church has an increasing number of men who tithe their income, and they do not tithe it after they have paid all their bills, but they tithe the gross income instead. They do not count in the tithe what they are doing for the aged mother, for they regard that as a delight, the privilege of a child! You can never pay back that parents sacrifice. They tithe it straight and honestly before God. It is a singular thing that any Twentieth Century Christian could do less. I confess to you that I would be afraid to keep that which so clearly belongs to the Christ, and ashamed, if to His righteous rental of one tenth, I did not add an offering of love. A certain St. Louis preacher has spoken some foolish things recently regarding the Sacred Scriptures, the Resurrection, etc., but when he charged the church with playing at religion, he came close to the truth. The old ship Zion, he said, is to many only a ferry boat. Checks for pew rents, fees to Ecclesiastics and grudgingly given donations to philanthropies, are dropped into the slot to pay the passage over deaths river into a post mortem heaven. Religion is only a funeral decency to hoards. Religion should be a personal relation to God, marked by love and obedience to Him seven days in the week, and every conscious moment! To realize this means a zeal from which many shrink.
John Hay, Americas greatest diplomat, a matchless editor, and a ready historian, was also something of a poet. When the Worlds Christian Endeavor met at Washington, they sang Hays hymn,
Lord, from far severed climes we come,To meet at last in Thee, our home,Thou who hast been our Guide and Guard,Be still our hope, our rich reward.
Defend us, Lord, from every ill,Strengthen our hearts to do Thy will,In all we plan and in all we do,Still keep us in Thy service true.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord.
THE APOSTLES PROMISE
Forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Labor for the Lord is not unnoticed. God is not asleep, or dead, or blind. No true service, however small, no true servant, however humble, escapes His attention. Only three of the twelve Apostles appear very prominently in the New Testament recordPeter, James, and John, but the rest are not forgotten. When you come to the last chapter but one of the Book of Revelation, the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. God had remembered, and immortalized them. People weary in their petitions and wonder whether God hears them! Concerning those very prayers, the poet has said,
Unanswered yet! The prayer your lips have pleadedIn agony of heart these many years?Does faith begin to falter? Is hope departing?And think you all in vain those falling tears?Say not the Father hath not heard your prayer?You shall have your desire, sometime, somewhere.
Unanswered yet! Nay, do not say ungranted! Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done.The work began when first your prayer was uttered,And God will finish what He has begun.If you will keep the incense burning there,His glory you shall see, sometime, somewhere.
Labor for the Lord is not unfruitful, except it be done in the energy of the flesh, and apart from the Spirit. When Peter was penning his second Epistle he enjoined upon his readers all diligence, in their faith supplying virtue; and in virtue, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control, patience; and in patience, Godliness; and in Godliness, brotherly kindness; and in brotherly kindness, love; for, said he, if these things are yours, and abound, they make you not to be idle nor unfruitful.
It is an improvement upon the old version. Barrenness can be nothing else but unfruitfulness! Idleness is not a necessity! The true servant sees the result of his endeavors, in blooming gardens, and gathered grain, Did not Jesus say, He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit? Is it not also His Word, Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples?!
Labor for the Lord is not unrequited. His reward is with Him. One of the noblest queens of the past gave her diamonds for the poor, and when afterwards at the hospital thus founded she saw tears in the eyes of one of her grateful subjects, who was being benefitted by her sacrifice, she said, In those tears I found my diamonds again. Westinghouse, famed for his discoveries and corporate wealth, was talking one day about the air brake he had invented, which had just saved a train from destruction, and he said, If some day men say of me that with that air brake I contributed to civilization, and added something to the safety of human life, it will be my sufficient reward. When some of the followers of Mohammet, after the conquest of Mecca, complained that, though they had borne the burdens of battle, they were neglected in the season of victory, the great prophet answered, Alas! suffer me to conciliate these recent enemies, these doubtful proselytes, by the gift of some perishable goods. To you I entrust myself, my life and fortunes; you are the companions of my exile, but you shall also be the companions of my kingdom and my paradise.
It is so of the coming empire of the Christ; If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him, and Ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
Butlers Comments
SECTION 4
Its Helpfulness (1Co. 15:58)
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1Co. 15:58 a In Steadfastness: What a helpful, practical, glorious conclusion. Who said Christianity is impractical? Why else would anyone have any desire to be steadfast and immovable in this life? What other philosophy would produce stability in this life? Only the perspective based on the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ will do that! Paul uses the Greek words hedraioi and ametakinetoi; they are translated, steadfast and immovable, respectively. Hedraioi means seated, settled-in, fixed; it is used to form one of our English suffixes e.g. tetrahedron denoting a crystal having a specific number of facets or surfaces. It also forms the second half of the English word cathedral which also means, seated above. Christians have the power of the resurrection to help them live stable, fixed, settled lives. Ametakinetoi means motionless, unexcitable, not given to passion. Part of the word, kinetoi, is the word from which the English words kinetic, kinematics, kinescope come. These English words all have to do with motion. The alpha-privative and the prepositional-prefix, ameta, would cause the word to be translated, absolutely, completely, immovable. The only way to be steadfast and immovable in this world of dissolution and mortality is to believe the resurrection! The resurrection is the key-stone of the arch supporting moral immovability in the storm of temptation.
1Co. 15:58 b In Service: The resurrection is the impetus for abounding in the work of the Lord. Preaching is work! Evangelism is work! Shepherding the flock is work! Teaching the saints is work! Learning Gods Word is work! Loving is work! Being a good Samaritan is work! Believing is work (Joh. 6:29); repenting is work (Rev. 2:5). To be a Christian a person must exhaust himself, his talents, his resources, his time, his soul and his body in the work of the Lord, (see Eph. 4:12; 2Th. 1:11; 2Ti. 4:5; Joh. 9:4). Lets face it, there are times when the devil will tempt us to perceive doing the will of God is a chore, or worse, repressive and futile. Even Jesus cried, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. But Jesus, in his moments of temptation to depression offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him out of death, and he was heard for his godly fear (Heb. 5:7). Jesus did the work of God through the power of trusting in the resurrection!
1Co. 15:58 c In Security: There is nothing which will bring to the human soul the feeling of security and satisfaction as completely as the knowledge that ones labor is not in vain! So very much of everything written, painted, built, said, done, applauded, acquired, attained in this world is doomed to disappear. Only that which has been done in the name of Christ will be transferable (in different form) into the kingdom of God to come (heaven). Everything else has perished, is perishing, or shall perish. Vanity of vanity, all is vanity (Ecc. 1:2). The Christian whose hope is in the resurrection is the only person in this world who can find true, complete, abiding satisfaction and fulfillment. His labor is not in vain in the Lord. When he passes from this life to the next, his works follow with him (Rev. 14:13). If a man believes in God and his Son, his prayers and alms go up before God as a memorial (Act. 10:4). Every act of kindness in the name of Jesus and for his sake (even a cup of cold water) is remembered and will be rewarded by the Lord (Mat. 25:31-46). So, let us lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Mat. 6:19-21) where they are eternally secure and fulfilling.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(58) Therefore.Because all this is sobecause there is a life hereafterlet this life here be worthy of it. You might grow weak and faint-hearted if you could think that all your work for God and truth here might be wasted; but it is not so. It cannot be in vain if it be in the Lord. It is very striking and very expressive of the real spirit of the gospel that a chapter which leads us step by step through the calm process of logic, and through glowing passages of resistless eloquence to the sublimest thoughts of immortality, should at last thus close with words of plain and practical duty. Christianity never separates, in precept or in promise, the life that now is and that which is to come.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
58. Therefore The Christian doctrine is a great motive force for the Christian life. All the terrors and glories of death, resurrection, judgment, and eternity, are startling admonitions to steadfast, solemn duty-doing.
My beloved brethren St. Paul’s heart hovers in full affection, in passing from those fearful scenes, over his brethren, as if he would provide for their safety.
Steadfast, unmovable In your faith in the resurrection which the some of 1Co 15:12 are endeavouring to overthrow. Steadfast, unmovable, and abounding, form a climax. Steadfast means positive, intrinsic firmness; unmovable implies resistance to the mightiest outward pressures and fiercest onsets; abounding means energetic action. Some Christians appear to do nothing; some to do a little; others abound in every good word and work.
Work of the Lord The conversion of sinners, the upbuilding of the Church, and all the countless forms of Christian activity.
Not in vain As it would be (1Co 15:29-34) were there no resurrection. But there being a resurrection, every deed in faith shall brighten the lustre of the resurrection body. “One star differeth from another star in glory.” This maxim is not, indeed, uttered by the apostle of the differences of personal glory in heaven; but it is, no doubt, applicable. The brighter our earthly Christian character, the more transcendent our heavenly glory.
In the Lord Our labours shall attain their highest reward in Christ, who is all riches.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Wherefore, my beloved brothers, be you steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labour is not vain in the Lord.’
What then does this mean for us? Does it mean that we can sin freely because all our sin is laid on Christ? We can surely hear Paul say quite clearly, ‘God forbid!’ Indeed it is because of this, he says, that you must be ‘steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord’. Having received so great a deliverance they must concentrate every effort on being Christlike, on letting Christ do His work through them. On showing the love of 1 Corinthians 13, on revealing the true spiritual gifts in ministry to God’s people, on true and united worship, and on holy and righteous living. And last but not least, on reaching out to the lost in order to bring in God’s harvest. (Compare 1Co 16:10). Our lives must mirror the perfection and purpose of His life.
‘Steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding.’ This represents full commitment, firm faith, and continual activity in Christ in all spheres. There is no place for sin, no room for selfishness. All that Christ would do on earth we must do. That is what the promise of the future demands of us. We are to reveal the heavenly nature (1Co 15:49) and the heavenly power.
‘Forasmuch as you know that your labour is not vain in the Lord.’ And this is why we must do so. Because we know that the Lord has triumphed. Because we know that He will raise us up. For from now on we know that in the light of His resurrection the purpose of our labour is meaningful, and the reward for our labour is certain. Because of this our service can never be in vain. Difficulties may arise. The way may be hard. But the final triumph is assured. How then can we fail to play our full part in it?
We should note here how Paul chose to end this passage. It is with an exhortation to righteous living and holiness. The doctrine was important in order that we might know the truth about the resurrection, but equally important is our response to that doctrine. Without the latter the former is but empty words. Paul has no room for great theoreticians whose lives do not reveal the truth of what they teach. Like James he would say, ‘faith without works is dead’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Co 15:58 . Closing admonition, drawn in the way of inference by from . . . “ Therefore because you are sure of the victory be stedfast ,” etc. The . . ., which glances back upon that sure , testifies in favour of this reference of ; hence we have no adequate ground for referring to the whole section (de Wette, van Hengel, al. ), nay, even for making it extend to the whole Epistle (Hofmann).
, .] Comp. Col 1:23 . To conceive of the readers as ethical athletes (Beza), is not suggested by the context. What is expressed is Christian perseverance in general, under the figure of standing firm , comp. 1Co 7:37 (opposite: , comp. Theodoret), in connection with which, again, . presents the perseverance more precisely as unseduceableness , both being in opposition to the possible seductions through the deniers of the resurrection. Comp. on ., Plato, Ep . vii. p. 343 A; Dion. Hal. i. p. 520; and on both words, Arist. Eth. ii. 4. 3.
. . .] abounding in the work of the Lord, i.e. exceedingly active and energetic therein, always . This more precise definition of . is confirmed by the correlative (your pains and labour); , again, denotes the definite sphere, wherein , etc. Comp. 2Co 8:7 ; Phi 1:26 ; Col 2:7 ; Rom 15:13 . The is the work which is carried on in the service of Christ . Comp. 1Co 16:10 . His is the work, in which His people labour. And they labour therein, each according to his different calling, by the active fulfilment of His will as servants of the Lord (1Co 12:5 ). The three points, , ., . . . ., form a climax .
] since ye know (comp. Rom 5:3 ; 2Co 1:7 ; 2Co 4:14 ); it introduces the motive, so significant in this connection, to follow the . . . . .; , your painstaking labour , which is devoted to the . .
] in vain, i.e . without result. Comp. 1Co 15:10 ; 1Th 3:5 . So would the labour be, if there were no resurrection and no victorious consummation of eternal life, because then the blessed reward of the labour would remain unattained, namely, the salvation of the Messianic kingdom which is destined for the labourer. Rom 2:7 ; 2Ti 2:12 ; Jas 1:12 , al.
] is not to be connected with ., but with . It depends upon Christ , that your labour is not fruitless; for in Him the resurrection (1Co 15:22 ) and the Messianic have their causal basis, 1Co 15:17-19 ; Act 4:12 ; Rom 5:9 f., Rom 6:22-23 , Rom 10:9 , al.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
REFLECTIONS
On! thou that art the resurrection and the life! Hail! thou glorious Almighty Lord Jesus! Thou hast indeed declared thyself to be the Son of God, with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by thy resurrection from the dead. And thou hast thereby shewn to the fullest demonstration, that in thy life thy people live, and by thy resurrection theirs also is secured, thyself becoming the first fruits of them that slept. Praises to thy great and glorious name! Sin is now pardoned. Justice is now satisfied. Law is now fulfilled. Satan conquered. Hell subdued, and heaven open to all believers!
Oh! ye faithful in Christ! rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Death hath no longer a sting; the passage through the grave is but the valley of the shadow of death, for the substance is done away. Christ hath perfumed the grave with his holy body. It is no longer the territories of the devil, but the chamber of rest to the Lord’s people. From thence, clear views are now seen of the city of the living God. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us unto this lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! Blessed be God the Son, who is the resurrection and life of his people. And blessed be God the Holy Ghost, who by the washing of regeneration, which he hath shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Savior, hath made us partakers of the divine nature, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life! Amen and Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Ver. 58. Always abounding, &c. ] This will strengthen faith, as the often knocking upon a stake fastens it. When faith bears fruit upward, it will take root downward.
Forasmuch as ye know ] Bestir you therefore. It troubled a martyr at the stake that he should then go to a place where he should ever be receiving wages and do no more work. It will repent us (if it were possible to repent in heaven) that we began no sooner, wrought no harder.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
58 .] Conclusion of the whole by an earnest exhortation .
] ‘ qu cum ita sint ,’ seeing that the victory is sure.
., .] a climax (Mey.); in reference, viz. to the doubt which is attempted to be raised among you on this matter.
.] The work of the Lord is the Christian life , with its active and passive duties and graces, the bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit.
] Knowing (as you do being convinced by what has been said), that your labour (bestowed on the . .) is not vain (which it would be, were there no resurrection: see reff.) in the Lord . These last words cannot belong to ., nor very well to (as Meyer), but are best taken with the whole sentence, your labour is not in vain : so ch. 1Co 9:1 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
1Co 15:58 briefly directs the previous teaching against the unsettlement caused by Cor [2587] doubts. This unbelief was taxed in 1Co 15:32 ff. with sensualism and ignorance of God; its enervating effect on Christian work is here indicated. For with impv [2588] , cf. 1Co 3:21 , 1Co 4:5 , etc. , “show yourselves steadfast”: see note on 1Co 7:23 , also 1Co 10:32 , 1Co 11:1 ; for the adj [2589] , see parls. In Col 1:23 the combination , (“not-to-be-moved”) is almost identically repeated; similarly in Aristotle, Nic. Eth ., ii., iv., 3, is specified as a condition of all right and virtuous doing. . . . adds the positive to the foregoing negative side of the injunction: “abounding (overflowing: see parls.) in the work of the Lord always”. . . ( cf. 1Co 9:1 ; Col 3:23 f., Mat 21:28 , Mar 13:34 ) is “the work” which “the Lord” prescribes, while “the work of God” (Rom 14:20 : cf. Rom 3:9 above) is “the work” which “God” does: contrast 1Co 12:5-6 above. “Knowing (as you do) that your toil is not empty in the Lord.” implies assured knowledge, such as springs from the confirmation of faith given in this chap. On , see note to 1Co 3:8 ; and on , 1Co 15:14 : the “toil” is “empty” which is spent on illusion; “ce n’est pas l une activit d’apparat, accomplie dans le nant, comme si souvent le travail terrestre, mais un srieux labeur, accompli dans la sphre de l’ternelle ralit” (Gd [2590] ); hence the pr [2591] rather than . : in the sphere of Christ’s authority, wrought under His headship, which supplies the basis of all Christian relations and duties; cf. 1Co 15:36 , 1Co 4:17 , 1Co 7:22 , etc.
[2587] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.
[2588] imperative mood.
[2589] adjective.
[2590] F. Godet’s Commentaire sur la prem. p. aux Corinthiens (Eng. Trans.).
[2591] present tense.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1Co 15:58
58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
1Co 15:58 Paul concludes this tremendous theological discussion of the resurrection with a practical pastoral encouragement for the need for consistency and perseverance in our daily Christian lives. Eternal live has observable characteristics! There is one present imperative followed by two participles used as imperatives. It will be worth it all when we see Him and are welcomed into the eternal Kingdom!
“abounding” See Special Topic at 2Co 2:7.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Therefore = So then.
beloved. App-135.
stedfast. Greek. hedraios. See 1Co 7:37.
unmoveable. Greek. ametakinetos. Only here.
forasmuch as ye know = knowing. App-132.
Lord. App-98.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
58.] Conclusion of the whole by an earnest exhortation.
] qu cum ita sint,-seeing that the victory is sure.
., .] a climax (Mey.);-in reference, viz. to the doubt which is attempted to be raised among you on this matter.
.] The work of the Lord is the Christian life, with its active and passive duties and graces,-the bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit.
] Knowing (as you do-being convinced by what has been said), that your labour (bestowed on the . .) is not vain (which it would be, were there no resurrection: see reff.) in the Lord. These last words cannot belong to ., nor very well to (as Meyer), but are best taken with the whole sentence, your labour is not in vain: so ch. 1Co 9:1.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Co 15:58.[152] , beloved) The true consideration of the things, the last of all, kindles his love towards the brethren.-, [steadfast] stable) do not ye yourselves turn aside from the faith of the resurrection.-, immoveable) be not led away by others, 1Co 15:12. So Col 1:23.- , in the work of the Lord) Christ, Php 2:30. It is called generally, the work which is carried on for the sake of the Lord. Its more particular definition depends on the circumstances of each particular text.-, knowing) He is now sure of the assent of the Corinthians.- , is not vain) i.e., is most profitable. They were trying to make it in vain, who denied the resurrection. Paul mildly refutes these men even in the conclusion [as well as before].
[152] , therefore) A grave error had to be refuted in this passage: and yet he does not neglect to subjoin the exhortation.-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Co 15:58
1Co 15:58
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, immovable,-In view of these riches and glories, he admonishes his brethren to be firm, steadfast, unmovable in the faith of the gospel.
always abounding in the work of the Lord,-The work of the Lord is the work in which God has ordained that his children shall walk. Their labor, doing his work in Christs name, as his servants, ransomed and redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, is not in vain. God watches over, guards, and preserves that work as the work of his own Son whose redeemed servants we are. It is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. (Php 2:13). Gods servants do the work of God. All work not in the Lord is vain and fruitless and must perish. If not in the Lord, it will go down to ruin.
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord.-This applies to the whole sentence and its several clauses. They knew by this time, from the apostles argument, that the living and the dead will appear before Christ, and that faithfulness will be rewarded with participation in Christ’s glory; for every mans work will be tested. (1Co 3:13; 1Co 4:5). Paul began the discussion by declaring that, if there is no resurrection of the dead, his preaching and their faith are equally vain. He closes this argument with an appeal to their conviction that, because there will be a resurrection, their humble toil (1Co 3:8), from day to day in the work of the Lord, will be no more in vain than their faith in Christ, no more in vain than the ministry of the apostles, no more vain than Christs death and resurrection.
[Thus, with beautiful calmness and ease, does the apostle come down, in this closing verse, from the height to which he had risen in the verses immediately preceding, to the everyday work and warfare of life. Nor is this wonderful; for the spring of all Christian activity, energy, and progress lies in such soul-stirring themes as are handled in this chapter, whose practical outcome is expressed in this closing verse.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Therefore: 2Co 7:1, 2Pe 1:4-9, 2Pe 3:14
be ye: Rth 1:18, Psa 55:22, Psa 78:8, Psa 78:37, Psa 112:6, Col 1:23, Col 2:5, 1Th 3:3, Heb 3:14, 2Pe 3:17, 2Pe 3:18
abounding: Phi 1:9, Phi 4:17, Col 2:7, 1Th 3:12, 1Th 4:1, 2Th 1:3
the work: 1Co 16:10, Joh 6:28, Joh 6:29, Phi 2:30, 1Th 1:3, Tit 2:14, Heb 13:21
ye know: 1Co 3:8, 2Ch 15:7, Psa 19:11, Gal 6:9, Heb 6:10
is not: Psa 73:13, Gal 4:11, Phi 2:16, 1Th 3:5
in the: Mat 10:40-42, Mat 25:31-40, Phi 1:11, Heb 13:15, Heb 13:16
Reciprocal: Gen 26:5 – General Gen 32:26 – I will not Deu 6:17 – General Deu 23:20 – that the Jos 14:14 – because Jos 22:8 – Return 2Sa 22:21 – rewarded 1Ch 22:16 – Arise 2Ch 12:14 – he prepared Neh 4:21 – So we Neh 5:16 – I continued Neh 6:4 – four times Psa 37:3 – Trust Psa 44:18 – have Psa 51:10 – right Psa 119:157 – yet do I Psa 128:2 – and it shall Pro 10:4 – but Pro 10:16 – labour Pro 21:21 – findeth Isa 65:23 – shall Hag 1:14 – and they Mat 13:43 – shall Mat 20:1 – labourers Mat 21:28 – sons Mar 3:3 – he saith Mar 7:7 – in vain Mar 13:34 – and to Luk 5:6 – they enclosed Luk 19:19 – Be Act 11:23 – cleave Act 16:5 – so Act 20:24 – none Rom 2:7 – patient Rom 16:12 – labour 1Co 16:13 – stand 2Co 4:16 – we 2Co 5:9 – we labour 2Co 9:8 – may Gal 4:18 – it is Gal 5:1 – Stand Gal 6:14 – the world Eph 6:1 – in Phi 1:27 – that ye Phi 2:12 – work 1Th 2:1 – in vain 1Th 3:8 – if 1Th 5:21 – hold 2Th 2:15 – stand Tit 3:1 – to be ready Heb 6:11 – we desire Heb 6:19 – both Heb 10:35 – great Heb 12:3 – lest Jam 1:25 – this 2Pe 1:8 – and abound Rev 14:13 – and their
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
NOT IN VAIN
Grace not in vain; Labour not in vain.
1Co 15:10; 1Co 15:58
St. Paul, of all men, was ever keen on Christian men and women not only enjoying their privileges, but also discharging their responsibilities consistently.
I. Because if we do not, Gods grace has been bestowed upon us in vain.An ample supply of that grace comes to every child of God: on every penitent soul the Divine bounty descends in the form of virtue and power to lead a new life. Judging by Apostolic language we each have more than enough (see 2Co 9:14 and 1Pe 4:10). That grace is given for the distinct purpose of service; and if it is not thus received, or thus employed, it is vain, it is rendered void, it becomes an empty thing! Bad enough to be unmoved by human kindness; a far greater sin not to be affected by the grace of God; not to be stirred to sacrifice and service (vide 2Co 6:1).
II. Because if we do, He will see that such labour is not in vain.This follows our first thought admirably: God gives His grace, do you give your labour, for if you see that His grace is not lost, He will see that your labour is not lost. But if men will not hear, is not our labour necessarily in vain? So we sometimes think; but the Apostle reminds us of the Resurrection, when the Master will assuredly give the increase, produce some fruit for all our labours, for the work of grace cannot be lost. There may be few signs of harvest to-day; but they will appear to-morrow when He cometh, Whose reward is with Him.
Rev. A. B. G. Lillingston.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
1Co 15:58. The grand conclusion to the argument of the chapter is stated in this verse. Since death does not “end it all,” but the faithful shall enjoy endless bliss in the world to come, even though death from whatever cause may intervene, they have great reason to press on in their service to Him. There is not much difference between stedfast and unmoveable. The first means to have a fixed purpose in life. the second means to be determined not to be moved from that purpose. Abounding is from PERISSEUO, which Thayer defines, “to be pre-eminent, to excel.” Of course it means for each Christian to excel himself-never to be satisfied with present attainments in the Lord’s work, but ever striving to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Pe 3:18).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Inference from the whole subject, 58.
1Co 15:58. Wherefore, my beloved brethrenin view of all that has been held forth to you on this subjectbe ye stedfast, unmoveablenot moved either by the specious reasonings or by the lax life of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth (1Ti 6:5),always abounding in the work of the Lord. The way not to go back is to go forward, the way to be unmoveable is to be always abounding. The secret of stability is progress. The progressive principle is the grand conservative principle. Not to advance is to recede,forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Woefully in vain would their labour be if there were no resurrection. But holding this for a settled point, the apostle says, ye know it is not vain; and the Lord, he says, is pledged that it shall not be so.
Thus, with beautiful calmness and ease, does the apostle come down, in this closing verse, from the height to which he had risen in the verses immediately preceding, to the everyday work and warfare of life. Nor is this wonderful; for the spring of all Christian activity, energy, and progress Ties in such soul-stirring themes as are handled in this chapter, whose practical outcome is expressed in the closing verse.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Here our apostle concludes this chapter, and closes his discourse on this great subject, the doctrine of the body’s resurrection, with an exhortation to duty. Be ye steadfast; that is, in the faith of the gospel in general, and in the belief of this particular article of our Christian faith, the resurrection of the dead.
Unmoveable; that is, be not moved by any temptations or tribulations, either from the faith and hope of the gospel, or, from obedience to the gospel. Let no fear of the cross of Christ make you weary of the yoke of Christ.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Here note, That the more steady and stedfast any man is in the belief of a blessed resurrection, the more forward and zealous, the more active and industrious, will he be in the service of the work of God.
Forasmuch as your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord; that is, your painfulness in the service of God shall be plentifully recompensed by him at the resurrection of the just.
Where note, 1. The nature and quality of that service, or work of God declared, it is a labour; the vast circumference of a Christian’s duty makes it so; the curious and exact manner in and after which every duty must be performed, makes it so; the great opposition that he meets with in his duty, makes it so. But the greater their labour is on earth, the sweeter will their rest be in heaven.
Note, 2. The reward that sweetens this labour: It shall not be in vain, there is the transcendency of the reward Forasmuch as ye know; there is the certainty of it. The Christian’s services for Christ shall be certainly and transcendently rewarded by Christ in another world. His labour is finite, his reward is infinite. There is no more proportion between a Christian’s labour and reward, that betwixt time and eternity. O infinite glory, the reward of our poor labour.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Vv. 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, become stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
This , so that, therefore, is like all those which in the preceding parts served to introduce the practical conclusions to which the doctrines led up; comp. 1Co 3:21, 1Co 4:5, 1Co 7:38, 1Co 11:33, 1Co 14:39.
By the address, so full of tenderness: my beloved brethren, Paul seeks to get near those hearts which he may have repelled by his great severity.
He does not say: Be stedfast, but: become so; they are not so yet either in faith or in conduct. They must become rooted in Christ to be confirmed.
The following word immoveable, reminds them of the perils which their faith runs, such as that which he has sought to set aside throughout this whole chapter. If ye hold fast, he had said to them in 1Co 15:2, and in 1Co 15:33 : Be not deceived.
Once confirmed, their spiritual activity will unfold: Abounding in the work of the Lord. The verb , to abound, strictly signifies: to flow over the edges all round. By the work of the Lord, the apostle understands labour for the spread of salvation and for the development of spiritual life. The word always is added to remind them of the indefatigable perseverance which should characterize such work.
The apostle closes by indicating the motive which should always stimulate believers anew in the fulfilment of this task. They know that their labour in this domain is not in vain in the Lord. As the apostle uses the term , empty, and not (see on 1Co 15:14; 1Co 15:17), we must conclude that he is thinking less of the fruits of the labour than of its nature: this is not an activity of external demonstration, wrought in vacuity, as earthly labour so often is, but serious toil wrought in the sphere of eternal reality. This is why Paul also uses the present is, and not the future will be. These last words sum up the whole chapter, and at the same time form the transition to the following verses, which directly remind the Corinthians of one of the works to be done for the Lord. This connection with what follows is evident; but yet it is not a sufficient reason for joining this verse, as some commentators have done, to the following chapter.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord. [Therefore, since you see that the dead are raised and made capable of enjoying heaven, do not again be moved from your belief in these well-proven and established truths, and be careful to abound in the Lord’s work, for no matter what your present sufferings and persecutions may be, the Lord will amply reward you in the resurrection, and your labor will not be in vain.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
58. So, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Oh! blessed and glorious consolation! He that giveth a saint a cup of cold water in the name of the Lord shall not fail to receive his reward. Earth is the field of toil, peril and battle. Heaven is the mount of victory, where every pilgrim will receive a glorious reward for all our labors of love in this life.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
15:58 {30} Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the {f} Lord.
(30) An exhortation taken from the profit that ensues, that seeing they understand that the glory of the other life is laid up for faithful workmen, they continue and stand fast in the truth of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.
(f) Through the Lord’s help and goodness working in us.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Paul concluded his discussion of the resurrection with an exhortation to be faithful in the present (cf. 1Co 4:16-17; 1Co 5:13; 1Co 6:20; 1Co 7:40; 1Co 10:31-33; 1Co 11:33-34; 1Co 12:31; 1Co 14:39-40).
"Despite the magnificent crescendo with which Paul brings the argument of chap. 15 to its climax, the last word is not the sure word of future hope and triumph of 1Co 15:50-57; rather, in light of such realities, the last word is an exhortation to Christian living (1Co 15:58). Thus, eschatological salvation, the great concern of the epistle, includes proper behavior or it simply is not the gospel Paul preaches." [Note: Fee, "Toward a . . .," p. 58.]
"Eschatology has moral implications (1Co 6:13-14; 1Co 15:30-32; 1Co 15:58)." [Note: Keener, 1-2 Corinthians, p. 135.]
Specifically, Paul’s exhortation does not just call for ethical behavior (cf. 1Co 15:33-34) but for continued involvement in fulfilling the Great Commission, which is the work of the gospel.
This chapter began with a review of the gospel message from which some in the Corinthian church were in danger of departing by denying the resurrection. The charge to remain steadfast (1Co 15:58) therefore probably means to remain steadfast in the gospel as the Lord and the apostles had handed it down. Paul’s readers should not move away from it but should remain immovable in it. They should also increase their efforts to serve the Lord even as Paul had done (1Co 15:10). Rather than living for the present (1Co 15:32) believers should live in the present with the future clearly in view (cf. 1Co 1:9; 1Co 9:26). One day we will have to give an account of our stewardship (1Co 3:12-15).
No one except Jesus Christ has come back from the dead to tell us what is on the other side. However, His testimony through His apostles is sufficient to give us confidence that there is life and bodily resurrection after death. We will live that life in a changed body that will be incapable of perishing. It is therefore imperative that we make sure that we and all around us enter that phase of our existence with our sins covered by the sacrifice of Christ. [Note: See also Gary Habermas and Anthony Flew, Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?; John Wenham, The Easter Enigma: Are the Resurrection Accounts in Conflict?; Josh McDowell, More Than A Carpenter; Stephen T. Davis, Risen Indeed: Making Sense of the Resurrection; and Frank Morison, Who Moved the Stone?]